By Ray McCormack
For the American fire service and beyond, theFire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC)is a yearly event that informs, showcases, and debates where and how we are moving in the fire industry.
For attendees, it is an opportunity to experience multiple educational methodologies utilizing hands-ontraining, workshops, lectures, and roundtable discussions. Industry product lines and innovational ideas are touted at every turn on the show floor. To truly capture the event that is FDIC, you need to explore the many social events and group activities that take place after the classroom and vendor booths have shut down for the day.
Anyone who experiences this whirlwind typically enjoys it and vows to come back again and again. The experience is so all-encompassing that when you analyze your decision to attend, it’s confirmed as the right one. While no one can take it all in, variety and self direction is what makes for a rich and individual experience. When people ask me how long I’m going to be at the FDIC, I simply say, “I’m here all week!”
Keep Fire in Your Life
RAY McCORMACKis a 30-year veteran and a lieutenant with FDNY. He is the publisher and editor of Urban Firefighter Magazine. He delivered the keynote address at FDIC in 2009 and he is on the Editorial Board of Fire Engineering Magazine. For more on Urban Firefighter, visit//www.sacthai.com/urbanfirefighter.html.
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